


#13 - Spirit of the Night

by angelsandbrowncoats



Series: Eurovision 2017 Fanfic Challenge [31]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 04:43:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11051583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelsandbrowncoats/pseuds/angelsandbrowncoats
Summary: Sam can't sleep. Neither can Natasha. Perhaps together they can evade the memories that haunt them each night.





	#13 - Spirit of the Night

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly I just think these two have a great dynamic, whether platonic or romantic, and I wanted to do something with that dynamic. So have this.

A quiet night at Avengers Tower was strange, but Sam found himself in one all the same. Tony was in Europe for some inventors' convention, Bruce was seven floors down - probably asleep - in the lab, and Steve had turned in early to read. He didn't know about the others, but they didn't seem to be here, and his communicator was silent, so they didn't need his help with anything.

It was odd, almost, how a quiet night seemed worse than one where they were fighting for their lives. In battle, he found purpose and camaraderie. In the silence, his thoughts kept him company, bringing with them no comfort.

He got a drink from the eternally well-stocked bar, leaning against the cool counter-top. He hadn't bothered to turn the lights on, watching the brightly lit city through the floor-to-ceiling windows instead.

"Can't sleep?"

He turned at the voice, already knowing who he was going to see. Natasha wasn't smiling, but she wasn't frowning either as she poured herself a drink from the bottle he'd left out.

"This is good," she commented.

"Stark knows his stuff," Sam agreed, "And it's not that late."

"It's past midnight."

"Is it?" he hadn't noticed. Last he'd checked, it had been barely half past ten. He must have gotten caught up in his thoughts.

"Yep. Not that we don't have plenty of late nights around here," she granted, "but most of us took a night with no global threats or galas to mean getting some extra sleep. Something on your mind?"

"Not really," he shrugged, "Nothing in particular anyway."

"Just thinking?" she asked, and she did smile then, a knowing half-smile, like she knew the feeling. She probably did.

"Yeah. We don't get much time for quiet reflection, sometimes I still don't quite believe all the things I've seen. All the things I've done."

Natasha nodded, "Even before the whole 'superhero' thing, right?"

"Yeah. I mean, that shit's crazy enough, don't get me wrong, but- "

"But war can be equally crazy, even without the aliens or the killer robots," she finished for him. He twisted his mouth in agreement, "Exactly."

She joined him at the window, "It looks unreal, doesn't it. Like something we can never have."

"From up here, I can almost imagine what it would be like to have a normal life."

"Going to work at 9," Natasha added, "Doing paperwork. Catching a movie."

"Why don't we?"

"Why don't we what?"

"Go to the theater? Watch a movie? We're not doing anything right now."

"Don't be ridiculous, birdbrain, Black Widow and the Falcon can't just stroll into the cinema and buy a couple of tickets."

"Why not? Besides, it's not like we'd go in our costumes or anything. We could even go as a couple; wasn't it you who told Cap that public displays of affection make people uncomfortable?"

Natasha blinked once, "Are you asking me out?"

"Well, if you're not interested, I'll go with Redwing. He's cute."

"Ha ha. And I didn't say I wasn't interested. I was clarifying."

"In that case, yes, I'm asking you out."

"Did you have a movie in mind?"

"Not particularly."

Together, they could distract each other from the burdens of the past. Together, they could make it through the night.


End file.
